Folding car-step.



G. KAPP & B. S. HYATT. FOLDING CAR STEP. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1912.

Patented June 25, 1912.

WNW l- .v

Attorney warransrarns raTnNtr ornion.

eno'non Kara? mp BENJAMIN s. HYA'IT, or VINITA, OKLAHOMA.

FOLDING CAR-STEP.

To all whom) it may concern:

Be 1t known that we, GEORGE Karl and BENJAMIN S. HYATT, citizens of the United.

States, residing at Vinita, in the county of Craig, State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Folding Car-Step, of which parts are locked in either of the positions to which they may be'shifted.

' With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mechanism constituting the present invention, a portion of the fixed steps and of the housing provided for the ingmochanism being shown. -Fig. 2 a rear elevation of the parts shown in F ig. 1., the platform and the housing being shown in section.

. Referring to the figures by characters of reference A designates a. portion of the plat form of a car to which are connected the usual fixed steps B. The mechanism constituting the present invention is designed as an attachment to be employed in connection with the steps. Said mechanism includes an upper movable step 1 the inner corner portions of which are connected to the front corner portions of the lower fixed. step B, by means of links 2, said outer corner portions of the lower fixed step B being also connected to the outer corner portions of the step 1 by linksil, these links being arranged in pairs, one pair being located at each side Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1912.

Application filed March 7', 1912. Serial No. 682,133.

ef the steps. The lower movable step 4 has its inner corners connected to the outer corners of the step 1 by links 5 similar to the links 2 and additional links 6 connect said outer corners of the step 1 to the outer corners of the step at, these links 6 being arranged in pairsg one pair being located at each. side of the steps. Thus it will be seen that when the steps are extended, each of the movable steps is supported from the step thereabove by links forming upwardly converging COIlIltZCtlODS. A hanger 7 is hingedly connected, as at 8, to the structure A and extends downwardly and'is pivotally connected, as at 9, to the upper end of a rod 1.0, the lower end of which extends under and is fixedly secured to the middle portion of the lower step 4. A rock shaft 11 is journaled on the'bottom of the structure A and has an arm 12 extending downwardly therefrom and terminating in a yoke 13 which straddles the hanger 7 and has spaced roll-- ers 14 engaging opposed portions of the hanger. Additional arms 15 are fixedly connected to and extend down from the shaft 11 and each of these arms 15 is pivotally con-- nected, as at 16, to the upturned end portions 17 of rods 18. These rods extend downwardly and are secured to the lower face of the step 1 close to the sides of the step. A housing 19 extends upwardly from the structure A preferably beyond the steps and one end of the shaft 11 projects into this housing and. is provided with a longitudinally slotted arm 20 preferably extended upwardly within the housing. The slot 21 within this arm receives a stud or roller 22 extending laterally from the lower end of a lever 23 which is fulcrumed, as at 24, within the housing and extends upwardly through a slotin the top Ofthe housing. A holding strip 26 is fulcrumed, as at 27, Within the upper portion of the housing 19 and extends across one side of the lever 23, this strip being formed with an arcuate slot 28, the lower wall of which is provided, adjacentits ends, with notches 29 and 30 respect vely either of which is adapted to receive a stud 31 extending laterally from the lever 23. A spring 32 is connected to one end of the strip 26 and also to the bottom portion of the housing 19 and serves to hold the slotted portion of the strip 26 normally elevated. so that the lower wall of the slot 28 will constantly press upwardly against the stud 31 which projects into the slot. The free end of the slotted portion of strip26 is mounted within a guide 33 located in t-hehouslng. .A button 34 or'its equivalent is movably mounted within the upper end portion of lever housingand has a projection 38 thereon adapted to extend under the free end of the slotted portion of strip 26 and thus prevent said end from being pressed downwardly.

5 One end of this lacking member projects through the housing 19 so that it'can be convenicntly reached when it isdesired to release the mechanism used in actuatingthe steps. 1

It is to be understood that under normal conditions the stud 31-is seated in either the notch .29 or the notch 30 and when thus 10- gage the notched tion 38 is first swung 26. \Vhen the stud 31 is seated in" notch 30 the steps are extended,

cated, it is impossible for the strip 26 to be swung downwardly so as to become disengaged from the stud 31 unless the projecoutwardly from under stri as shown in Fig. l and can thus be used in lieu -of the stool commonly employed. When it is desired to fold the steps, the locking member 37 is swung outwardly so as projection 38 from under strip 26. Button is then depressed and stem ,36 is caused to push against the strip 26 and swing it downwardly, thereby placing thespring 32 under-greater stress. This downward movement of strip 26 will be sufiicient to disenportion 30 from the stud 31 and it willtherefore be possible to swing the lever 23 about its fulcrum 24 until the stud 31 is brought into register with notch 29 whereupon the spring 32 will move the notched portion 29 upwardly into engagement with the stud and thereby revent'further movement of the lever. uring this movement of the lever the stud 22 will cause the arm 20 to swingand the shaft 11 to rotate and the two arms 15 will thus pull upwardly on the rods 18 while, at the same time. the rollers ltcarried by yoke 13 will travel along hanger 7 and cause said hanger to pull upwardly on rod 10. Thus the steps 1 and -l will be swung. backwardly and upwardly and the links 3'and 6 will be caused to fold and to assume positions beside the links 2 while the steps 1 and 4 are held close to the lower step B. After the-steps have thus been folded the locking member 37 can be swung back into engagement with the strip 26 and the parts will thus be locked so that the steps cannot be lowered until the foregoing operation has been reversed.

it will be noted that when lever 23. is at either limit of its movement, it is arranged .tending through the operated thereby to withdraw the at right angles to the arm 20. Thus, should be exerted downwardly'or upthe steps 1 or 4,-flthe arm 20 stud 22 on a line' e x fulcrum 24and there would thus be no danger of the leverbreak ing under pressure. What issclaimed is b r 1. The combination'wit'h a car structure. including a fixed step, of movable steps susany pressure wardly upon would push against pended below the fixed step and foldable an actuating lever, :means.

relative thereto,

for shifting the movable operated thereby steps into or out of active means engaging the lever for holding it at either limit of its movement, and means car ried by the lever for shifting. said yielding means out of engagement with the lever;

' '2. The combination with a car structure including a fixed step, of movable steps suspended below, the fixed'step and foldable' relative thereto,

for shifting the movable ,.eps into or out of activerposition, yield-,- able means engaging the lever, for holding it at either limit of its movement, 'means carried by the lever for shifting said'yielding means out of engagement with the lever, and means-engaging said. yielding means for holding it'against movement out of engaging position. 3. Th'e combination with and a step fixedly connected thereto, of, movable steps step, a rock shaft, separate means actuated bv the shaft formoving the respective mov into or out of active positioma arm extending from the shaft, alever sl arm, yieldable means in engaging the lever to 1101a it at eitherllimi 17" position, yieldable' I an actuating lever, Jmea'ns a car structurefoldable against said ,gfixed of its movement, and means carried byzthgg lever for-depressing said means to releasethe lever, said slotted arm and lever. cooperating to direct pressure againstthefulcrum of the lever when the movable steps are sub-- jected to weight.

4. The combination withv a car structure and a step fixedly connected thereto, of movable steps foldable against' said fixed step, a rock shaft, separate means actuated by the shaft for moving the respective: movable steps intoor outof active position an arm extending from the shaft, a lever slidably engaging the arm, yieldablemeansfor en- Y gaging the lever to hold it at either limit -of its movement, and lever for depressing said means 'to release the lever.

"means carried by the 5. The combination with a car structure having a fixed step, of steps novably connected to and foldable members fixedly connected to the respective movable steps and extending upwardly from the back portionsthereof, a hanger suspended from the structure and connected to-one against the fixed step, v

of said members,isaid hanger being mounted to swing, a rock shaft, means'movable with the rock shaft and movably engaging the hanger for swinging said hanger during the actuation of the rock shaft, to move one of i the lever for shifting said holding means out of active positio 7 The combination with a car structure including a fixed step, of a movable step suspended below and shiftable relative 'to the fixed step,- an actuating lever, means operated thereby for shifting the movable step into or out of active position, yieldable means engaging the lever for holding it at either limit of its movement, and means carried by the lever .for shifting said yielding means out of engaging position.

Copies ofthls patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner bra Patents.

8. The combination with a car structure having a fixed step and steps movably connected to the fixed step and adapted to fold,

thereagainst, of a rock shaft, means operated by said shaft for shifting the steps into or out of activepositions, a slotted arm movable with the rock shaft, an actuating lever slidably engaging said arm and adapted to rock the shaft, a slotted holding member pivotally mounted adjacent the lever, there, being recesses in one wall of the slot in said member, means-0n the lever and slidable in i the slot and adapted to be seated within either of'said recesses, means yieldingly'connected to said member for holding either of said recessed portions in engagement with said projecting means 'on the lever, and means carried by the lever for disengaging said holding member from-said projecting ,portion torelease the lever:

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own, We have hereto aflixed our sig natures in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE KAPP I BENJAMIN S. HYATT. Witnesses: J. S. MORTON,

H. E. ,Bngnr.

Washington, .D. G. 

